Traditional roasted eggplant salad

Back home, in Romania, we had to cook with the seasons. During summer time, there was an abundance of fresh produce to choose from and to cook with. And I’m not talking only about the farmers’ markets. Even in our small garden we would have veggies like salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lots of herbs and even fruits like apples, figs (yum!), cherries, sour cherries, plums and all sorts of berries. But during the harsh winters, among mountains of snow, in the land where the Black (salty) Sea would freeze overnight (no kidding), diversity was nil. Zero. Non-existent. Super clever people, such as my dear mother, would thus preserve fruits and veggies at the end of each summer to have and to hold eat all throughout winter.

Roasted eggplants were some of the veggies she would preserve, frozen. And she would use them to make this wonderful traditional roasted eggplant salad that I’ve been eating and loving since I was little.

It’s very easy to make and does not require any special tools (it is even easier if you have a blender, but works equally well with a wooden spoon). It has a soft and creamy texture that makes the dish quite addictive. There wasn’t a time I made this that there were any next-day-leftovers. No matter how much I would make!

Poke the eggplant with a fork several times and simply roast it until the peel gets slightly burned and the flesh is soft. Roasting the eggplant can be done in several ways, depending on how you like to roast your veggies: on a hot stove, on an open flame, on the BBQ (this is how we made it), on hot coals or in the oven. Temperature and time differs according to the size of the eggplant. Roughly, for a medium sized one, it should take around 30 to 45 minutes in a hot oven at 200C. What is important is to turn the eggplant on all sides to ensure even cooking and, as previously mentioned, to poke it with a fork before cooking it, to let the steam and juices out.

Once it’s done, place it in a bowl and leave it covered for 10 to 15 minutes. ‘Steaming’ it like this will help to peel it more easily. Once peeled, chop it finely, put it in a bowl and, using a wooden spoon, mix it with the onion, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper. Add olive oil a bit at a time, mixing continuously.

That’s all there is to it! Told you it’s easy. 🙂

Now grab your spoon, some freshly baked bread and dive in! Serve with fresh parsley and/or thin slices of shallots or red onion. And chili in our case (we have everything with chili!).

Just saying – if you are posting a recipe – how about including oven temp and how long to cook? Just a thought. You may want to modify that so people can actually prepare this dish as it’s meant to be prepared.

Hi Sara! Point well taken. We’ve updated the recipe to include details on roasting the eggplant.
We’re quite new at this food blogging thingy and there are still lots of things we don’t know, forget or simply do wrong. Thanks for reading our blog and, more important, for providing us with constructive feedback to make the recipe more accessible! We’re constantly looking for ways to do things better.
X Chris

Exact recipe my great grandmother always made except for the mustard. I’ll have to add that next time!! So, I’m 3 generations away from Romanian living so I speak, well…none. My great grandmother always called this dish something that sounded like: pot laja. Can you tell me the actual Romanian name? Thanks!

We call it potlagel. My mother has been craving it lately [her mother was Roumanian] – so I’ve been making it for her. No mustard or lemon juice in our recipe [although I would like to add some…or some garlic], as Mom wants it with just onions.

I do the majority of the cooking in our household. The only exception to this is when my wife has the chance to prepare the two most addicting Romanian foods; ciorba de burta and salata de vinete. However, your recipe means that I can surprise her this Easter with one of our mutually favorite dishes. Thanks! 🙂

This is indeed “Pot la Ja” probably a derivation of the Turkish word for eggplant which is patlajan. Turkey, where many recipes originated. My grandparents were from Romania and made this often but with lots of garlic and tiny chopped tomato made over an open flame. My father and uncles then continued to make this all of the time. Everyone adored it.

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🍃Hi, I'm Chris! I create plant based recipes that are usually simple, quick, and require minimum equipment.🍃 I have a raw dessert business @rawbychris 🌱 And a vegan deli @littlerawdeli. 📖 Also wrote a cookbook NOURISHING NOODLES available on Amazon. 📖 Dabbling with a tiny (but super cool) YouTube channel.